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Internet Fax Service the Solution to Junk Faxes

January 11, 2007

ByMae Kowalke TMCnet Contributor

The State of Indiana recently passed a law prohibiting the sending of unsolicited faxes, punishable by a fine of up to $1,500 per fax. In doing so Indiana joined several other states, including Michigan and Tennessee, with similar statutes on their books.

Junk or unwanted faxes are a big problem by many businesses, which lose both time and money dealing with the unsolicited documents. But in places where prohibitions have not yet been passed, what can a bombarded company do? Turning off the fax machine, often a vital business tool, usually isn’t an option.

The solution, as it turns out, can be found with an Internet fax service that provides filtering options for preventing junk faxes from getting through. A good example is RingCentral (News - Alert) Fax, part of the RingCentral Online communications suite.

Boris Elpiner, vice president of marketing at RingCentral, told TMCnet that RingCentral Fax includes three ways for users to block junk faxes. Users can elect to utilize any combination of these features.

“You can disable faxes without caller ID,” he said, listing one method. “Usually junk faxes don't have a caller ID.” He added that this method has worked best for him personally.

Users can also block faxes from a particular number. The call log is a handy reference for determining where junk faxes originate so those numbers can be blocked.

The third method for blocking junk faxes is to set the system up to accept faxes only during business hours, a good option for companies that operate on a mostly local basis.

“A lot of junk faxes are being sent overnight,” Elpiner noted.

He added that junk faxing is a big problem, despite being illegal in some states, including California. So far, the problem is being tackled state-by-state—and it is a domestic issue for the most part.

“Sometimes junk faxes come from overseas, but mostly it’s local because there is a cost involved,” he noted.

Using RingCentral Fax has proven to be the solution to the junk fax problem for many businesses. Paris Granville of Language Shaping Solutions, for exampled, said that the company chose to go with RingCentral because its physical fax was receiving ten or more junk faxes each day.

“When I initially switched, I was looking forward to getting faxes as PDF documents,” Granville said. “That way I wouldn’t waste paper printing out junk faxes. As it turned out, I needn’t have worried since RingCentral Fax filters out all junk faxes. It is still nice to store faxes electronically rather than shuffling paper. I only print the ones out that I need on paper.”

Granville added: “I am saving $20 a month in lost paper and ink from my inkjet fax. Plus I get the convenience of other features such as call forwarding and voice mail.”

For other companies, such as Coldwell Banker Tennessee Valley Realty, going with RingCentral Fax prevented junk faxes from becoming a problem in the first place.

“We have had RingCentral since 2003, and junk faxes have never been a problem,” the company’s office manager, David Jones, told TMCnet.

The ability to block junk faxes is just one example of how the RingCentral suite of services help companies tailor business communications to their specific needs.

Both Granville and Jones, for example, noted the ability of RingCentral Fax to receive faxes as PDF documents.

“We have RingCentral set to convert all incoming faxes to a PDF file,” Jones told TMCnet. “This allows our agents to forward a faxed document to someone as an e-mail attachment that can be read on almost any computer.”

Jones added: “Many of our clients don’t readily have access to a fax but they do have e-mail. An agent can fax the documents that need to be delivered to a client to our own ringcentral fax number. The documents can then be emailed to a client saving time and money.”

Interested in learning more about how Internet-based technologies are changing the way companies do business? Be sure to check out TMCnet’s White Paper Library, which provides a selection of in-depth information on relevant topics affecting the IP Communications industry. The library offers white papers, case studies and other documents which are free to registered users.

Mae Kowalke previously wrote for Cleveland Magazine in Ohio and The Burlington Free Press in Vermont. To see more of her articles, please visit Mae Kowalke’s columnist page. Also check out her Wireless Mobility blog.

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